Scemo & + scemo 2

LIke many others I thought this movie was going to be that sequel you wish they didn't make. Because I love Dumb and Dumber. And it seemed the only reason they made this sequel is because the directors and one of the actors haven't been doing good stuff, the last couple of years.

But surprisingly, Dumb and Dumber To is actually pretty fun. Sure some things have changed that aren't so great. The jokes are hit-and-miss, sometimes the timing is way off and the characters of Lloyd and Harry are a little more mean-spirited and maybe even a little too dumb at times. But on the other hand everyone really did their best to make this feel like a Dumb and Dumber film. Unlike the god-awful prequel this film really feels like Dumb and Dumber and it's actually fun to see some scenes re-created, but with a new little twist, or characters from the original film returning. And even though some jokes and scenes are forced, I have to admit the film actually had a great deal of scenes that made me laugh a lot.

So as a big fan of the original film I was surprised that I enjoyed this film as much as I did. Let's all not expect a masterpiece, but a film we can enjoy, that pays a nice homage to the original and well ... really could have been a lót worse.

Yes I know it's only one "o" and not two. Or two if you talk about the title (it could be a "w" missing also, depending on what way you want to go). But back to the movie. I haven't seen that unofficial movie that was made in between those two movies. But I was excited about this getting our two main characters back together (literally). Is it as good as the original though? You probably won't think so.

And neither did I. But it's still a good movie, especially if you were a fan of the original. You just have to accept, that some jokes will be replayed (the end credits even put similar scenes side to side with video/pictures of them being shown). Not perfect, but the chemistry is there and it's as mean as it was back then ...

Dumb and Dumber To (2014)

*** (out of 4)

Lloyd (Jim Carrey) and Harry (Jeff Daniels) decide to take a road trip when a medical condition has Harry trying to track down the daughter he never knew he had. Along the way the two get caught up in a murder plot and well as countless misadventures.

DUMB AND DUMBER TO was a film fans wanted since they walked out of the original movie twenty-years ago. Considering how long it took to arrive, I must admit that my expectations were rather low. There's no question that this film isn't nearly as good as the original but with that said, it kept me smiling throughout and it did feature some very big laughs. Again, I understand how some fans are upset at this thing because there are certainly some flaws but at the same time there were just way too many funny moments not to enjoy it.

Of course, one of the biggest highlights was just seeing Carrey and Daniels back in the roles that they made so memorable. For the most part I thought both slipped back into them quite well, although there's no doubt that Carrey seems more "in character" as Lloyd. The two certainly have some great chemistry together and after two decades they're still able to work well off of one another. Rob Riggle is also very funny in his supporting role as is Laurie Holden, Kathleen Turner and a couple nice cameos.

While watching the film there's certainly a very uneven feel to it. This was pretty much explained during the closing credit when I saw six writers listed. It seems that there really wasn't a good story to carry these guys through and it really did feel at times like they were just throwing anything on the screen just hoping that people would laugh. This uneven flow is what kept it from being as good and as fresh as the original but there's just no denying the countless laughs that do work. There were times when tears were running down my face but others where I couldn't believe they'd even attempt the joke that fell so flat (the AIDS one). Still, DUMB AND DUMBER TO has me hoping that Lloyd and Harry revisit us in another two decades.

I was pretty disappointed in this movie, and I'm not really sure why. There were definitely some funny parts where I laughed, but the whole thing felt pretty....forced. Harry and Lloyd felt like exaggerated versions of themselves, the storyline was just OK, and I think what threw me off the most was that so much of the movie was recycled.

I mean, you wait this long for a sequel to an absolutely classic movie, you start wondering what brilliance they must be cooking up. However, a LOT of the jokes were literally the same as the ones from the original, like exactly the same. They also tried to recreate similar scenes, they even used a lot of the same soundtrack. While some may see this as nostalgia, I saw it as lazy film making.

I also didn't particularly like the silliness. The first movie had some random very silly parts that in context of the rest of the genuinely funny parts didn't bother me at all. However, this movie seemed to be made up of entirely ridiculous scenes. Almost cartoon like in the way it was done. Not a fan. It reminded me a little of the three stooges movie.

Overall, just not worth going to the movies to see. It's a shame Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels waited this long just to put out something so mediocre.

Picture this: It's 20 years ago and you are at a party with stale pizza and warm beer. You plan on leaving early, then the life of the party shows up and makes it the most memorable party you ever went to.

20 years later, you plan a reunion and bring better pizza, a cooler filled with beer and invite everyone to the same place again. The same jokes are told and everyone leaves early.

That is what Dumb and Dumber is. I loved the first one so much that I am still willing to be happy with the reunion for old time sake.

It seems like all the variables were in place, and everyone just kept waiting for magic to happen. It seems like it was filmed well enough, and everyone thought they would fix it in post. Then in the edit room, everyone figured, "Well they shot it how they want it." and left it long and loose. It was very paint by numbers, and everyone followed the script. In a movie where the script was just there simply as a framework to be expanded upon. The timing is off and there is no punch.

This may be what happens when modern studio execs watch too many dailies and start influencing the editing process too much, and take the funny away from the people they paid to be funny. Next time, light the fire cracker and walk away. Let the experts be experts.